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Lebanon Seeks One-Month Truce Extension in Washington Talks with Israel
(MENAFN) Israel and Lebanon are holding a fresh round of discussions in Washington on Thursday, where Beirut is expected to ask for a one-month extension of a ceasefire that is set to expire within days.
Ahead of the talks, Israel said there were no “serious disagreements” between the two sides and urged Lebanon to “work together” against Hezbollah, the Iran-backed group that is not part of the negotiations and opposes them.
The meeting comes after a previous Washington session on April 14, the first direct contact of its kind since 1993. That earlier engagement aimed to help end a conflict that has lasted more than six weeks between Israel and Hezbollah.
Following that meeting, the United States announced a 10-day truce, which is scheduled to end on Sunday.
According to Lebanese authorities, Israeli military actions have killed at least 2,454 people and forced around one million residents to leave their homes since the beginning of the war.
The current talks are being led by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is bringing together Israeli ambassador Yechiel Leiter and Lebanese ambassador Nada Hamadeh Moawad, with the US ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Issa, also present. A State Department official said US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee is additionally expected to take part.
Meanwhile, violence on the ground continues to escalate ahead of the negotiations. Israeli strikes on Wednesday killed five people in Lebanon, as operations targeting what Israel describes as Hezbollah positions continue despite the ceasefire agreement.
Under the truce terms, Israel maintains it can still conduct strikes in cases of “planned, imminent or ongoing attacks.”
Lebanon’s civil defence agency reported that one of the strikes killed journalist Amal Khalil. Her body was recovered later after initial reports confirmed her death.
Lebanese state media initially reported that four others were killed in strikes in the south and east of the country. Khalil’s employer, the newspaper Al Akhbar, also stated that journalist Zeinab Faraj was injured in the same incident.
Ahead of the talks, Israel said there were no “serious disagreements” between the two sides and urged Lebanon to “work together” against Hezbollah, the Iran-backed group that is not part of the negotiations and opposes them.
The meeting comes after a previous Washington session on April 14, the first direct contact of its kind since 1993. That earlier engagement aimed to help end a conflict that has lasted more than six weeks between Israel and Hezbollah.
Following that meeting, the United States announced a 10-day truce, which is scheduled to end on Sunday.
According to Lebanese authorities, Israeli military actions have killed at least 2,454 people and forced around one million residents to leave their homes since the beginning of the war.
The current talks are being led by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is bringing together Israeli ambassador Yechiel Leiter and Lebanese ambassador Nada Hamadeh Moawad, with the US ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Issa, also present. A State Department official said US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee is additionally expected to take part.
Meanwhile, violence on the ground continues to escalate ahead of the negotiations. Israeli strikes on Wednesday killed five people in Lebanon, as operations targeting what Israel describes as Hezbollah positions continue despite the ceasefire agreement.
Under the truce terms, Israel maintains it can still conduct strikes in cases of “planned, imminent or ongoing attacks.”
Lebanon’s civil defence agency reported that one of the strikes killed journalist Amal Khalil. Her body was recovered later after initial reports confirmed her death.
Lebanese state media initially reported that four others were killed in strikes in the south and east of the country. Khalil’s employer, the newspaper Al Akhbar, also stated that journalist Zeinab Faraj was injured in the same incident.
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